Thoran facts for kids

A traditional Thoran from Southern Kerala, made with spinach leaves, grated coconut, and spices.

Thoran made with yardlong beans from Kerala.

Thoran (pronounced "THOH-ran") is a yummy dry vegetable dish from Kerala, a state in India. It's also called upperi in some parts of Northern Kerala. This dish mixes finely chopped vegetables with fresh coconut. People often eat Thoran with rice and curry. It's also a special part of a big traditional feast called a sadhya.

How Thoran is Made

Thoran is a dry dish. It's usually made from finely chopped vegetables. Some common choices are cabbage, yardlong beans, and other types of beans. People also use unripe jackfruit, bittergourd, or Elephant foot yam.

Sometimes, Thoran is made with leaves like green or red spinach (Spinach). Other leafy greens like Moringa oleifera or Ipomoea aquatica are also used. Even flowers from Moringa oleifera or Sesbania grandiflora can be turned into Thoran.

To make it, the chopped vegetables are mixed with grated coconut. Other ingredients include mustard seeds, curry leaves, and turmeric powder. This mix is then quickly cooked in a pan over a hot stove.

Thoran made with snake gourd.

Different Kinds of Thoran

You can make Thoran with many different vegetables. Some popular choices today include carrots, green beans, cabbage, or green tomatoes. Even spinach is used. These vegetables were not always common in Kerala.

Traditional Thoran recipes from Southern Kerala usually do not use garlic. However, nowadays, people often add garlic and onion to their Thoran for extra flavor.